A 6-Day Journey Centered on Nanning, Guangxi

I saw many posts online about fun, scenic, and delicious places in Guangxi, and I felt eager to explore. China is so vast, and while I can still travel, I have to go see it! But due to limited time and budget, I picked only a few cities in Guangxi that I most wanted to visit. As soon as my daughter's summer break started (in June), we set off! (A note: Guilin and Yangshuo in Guangxi are also worth visiting, but I've been there twice already, so I didn't choose them this time.)

DAY 1: Guangzhou, Guangdong – Beihai, Guangxi

Our first stop was Beihai, known for its Silver Beach. We took a bullet train at 10:16 AM from Guangzhou, which took a little over five hours. We napped on the train and arrived. With excitement, we walked out of Beihai High-Speed Rail Station, took a Didi to the booked homestay, dropped off our luggage, and walked to Beihai's most famous Silver Beach. (I had booked a homestay very close to the beach; there are many small homestays around Silver Beach, but few chain budget hotels.) As someone who goes to the beach every year, my impression of Silver Beach was not high, mainly due to the charges. The coastline is very long, and the sand is fine white sand—it feels really nice to take off shoes and walk on it. But after playing in the water, you have to pay to rinse off. For a five-star attraction, charging for fresh water to wash off sand is disappointing.

After two hours at Silver Beach, we took a "special car" for 10 yuan per person to the trendy Qiaogang Style Street. Near Qiaogang Style Street, there is a harbor where local fishing boats dock after returning from the sea. If you have time, you can sit there and enjoy the harbor breeze. We sat at the harbor for half an hour and then walked to Qiaogang Style Street for dinner. The street mainly offers snacks with Beihai characteristics, and nearby restaurants focus on seafood. We found a well-reviewed restaurant online and ordered a set meal. Before eating, we thought tourist area food wouldn't be good, but when the dishes arrived, we were pleasantly surprised. The prices were reasonable and the food delicious.

After dinner, we strolled around for another hour, then rented an electric scooter and rode back to the homestay.

DAY 2: Beihai – Nanning

On the second morning, we woke up naturally, skipped breakfast, and started the day's itinerary. We rented an electric motorcycle (I have a driver's license) and rode 10 kilometers to Guantouling Beach. The photos there were really beautiful. After taking pictures, we rode another 8 kilometers to Beihai Old Street. We first found a dessert shop and had a bowl of local sweet soup, then began exploring the old street. The old street mainly sells local specialties; we found it a bit boring, so we found a restaurant for lunch and then rode back to the homestay.

We took the 1:30 PM bullet train to Nanning. Beihai is not far from Nanning; after a little over an hour, we arrived at Nanning Station. Then we took a Didi to the booked homestay (this time we booked near the high-speed rail station for convenience the next day, but it wasn't noisy at all). After dropping off luggage, we took the subway to the city center, Chaoyang Square. Near Chaoyang Square, there are the trendy "Three Streets and Two Alleys" and Zhongshan Road. Personally, I didn't find them particularly special. We had an early dinner and returned to the homestay, preparing to get up early the next day.

DAY 3: Nanning – Detian Waterfall – Nanning

Today we got up early, ate a bowl of rice noodles downstairs, then went to the nearby Fengling Bus Station to take a shuttle bus to Detian Waterfall (you need to book the shuttle to Detian Waterfall a day in advance regardless of which station you board; otherwise, tickets easily sell out). The bus ride from Nanning to Detian Waterfall took over three hours, but seeing the waterfall made the long ride worthwhile. Because it had been raining heavily for several days before we arrived, the water volume in the scenic area increased. For safety reasons, the scenic area did not allow bamboo raft rides. Also due to heavy rain, the waterfall water was murky but extremely powerful.

After leaving the scenic area, we took the shuttle bus back to Nanning. Arriving at around 7 PM, we again took the subway to Chaoyang Square, then rented an electric scooter to go to the trendy Jianzheng Road for snacks. At Jianzheng Road, you must try the jianbing guozi (Chinese crepe); it was even better than the ones in Xi'an. But the fried dough sticks are not recommended... not recommended! After eating snacks, we went back to accommodation.

DAY 4: Nanning – Dongxing

Dongxing is a border city of our country, so this time we wanted to feel what it's like to stand at the national gate. We took a bullet train to Dongxing Station, then a Didi to the hotel. Arriving just at meal time, we had to brave the scorching sun to find food. Since Dongxing is not large and I booked a hotel near the national gate scenic area, we walked out to find food. Near the scenic area, we had a bowl of Vietnamese chicken noodle soup (not tasty) and then started walking around. On the street, there was a special snack called "mao dan" (eggs that are nearly or already formed into embryos); I didn't dare to try it, so I didn't buy. I also tried the famous Vietnamese coffee (just okay). I recommend one restaurant where food is inexpensive but tasty, and you can try various Vietnamese specialties. (Near Dongxing Primary School, there is a small stall selling avocado smoothies—highly recommended! I forgot to take a photo.)

DAY 5: Dongxing – Liuzhou

We slept in at the Dongxing hotel, then went to a famous noodle shop for a bowl of chicken noodle soup (better than the one near the national gate), and took a bullet train to "the city of river snail noodles" — Liuzhou.

Arriving in Liuzhou in the afternoon, we went to Longtan Park. I thought after visiting Longtan Park we would go up to Ma'anshan to see the city lights turning on and the water music fountain show, but I came at a bad time. After heavy rain, the river in Liuzhou had risen to the embankment, and the water music fountain was canceled. So we could only stroll around the pedestrian street to find food. After eating, we returned to the homestay early. (For girls who love taking photos, I recommend Longtan Park in Liuzhou.)

DAY 6: Liuzhou – Guangzhou

This was the last day of the trip. Naturally, we slept in. Then we went to the famous "Qingyun Morning Market" (similar to a regular market, but with more snacks; still worth a walk and breakfast). After breakfast, we visited the Liuzhou Industrial History Museum. At noon, we had a local specialty treatment: washing hair with ginger and tea bran. After that, we took a bullet train back to Guangzhou. The 6-day trip ended.

Actual expenses breakdown:

1. Bullet trains and taxis: 2320.19 yuan

2. Accommodation: 577 yuan

3. Food: 920.82 yuan

4. Tickets: 362.6 yuan